Annabelle Butterfly Dance

Film produced by William K. Dickson’s British Mutoscope and Biograph Company.

Hiram Maxim shows off his machine gun.

Roma families eat, drink, dance, and play

Many gondolas in Venice harbour with a fishing boat in the background

William K.L. Dickson plays the violin while two men dance. This is the oldest surviving sound film where sound is recorded on the phonograph.

In April the bloemencorso (flower parade) takes place in Haarlem in the Netherlands. This shot shows groups of carriages, festooned with flowers parading in a grassy area with onlookers.

A short Edison Black Maria studio film featuring famed sharpshooter Annie Oakley, known as “Little Sure Shot.” Born Phoebe Ann Oakley Mozee in Ohio in 1860, she rose to global fame performing with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. Accompanied (likely) by her husband and fellow marksman Frank Butler, Oakley’s diminutive stature belied her legendary marksmanship.

"A glove contest between trained cats. A very comical and amusing subject, and is sure to create a great laugh." (by Edison Films)

Three men hammer on an anvil and pass a bottle of beer around. Notable for being the first film in which a scene is being acted out.

The first woman to appear in front of an Edison motion picture camera and possibly the first woman to appear in a motion picture within the United States. In the film, Carmencita is recorded going through a routine she had been performing at Koster & Bial's in New York since February 1890.

“Interior of Barber Shop. Man comes in, takes off his coat; sits down, smokes; is handed a paper by attendant, who points out a joke; both laugh. Meantime the man in the chair is shaved and has his hair cut. Very funny.” (Edison's Latest Wonders, 1894)

A folk dance staged in the ruins of Pompeii. With the Arch of Tiberius in the near distance and Arch of Caligula in far distance. A troop of soldiers, or possibly more performers, march past. W K L Dickson who is directing the action can apparently be seen on far right of picture.

"Sir Hiram Maxim, in person, firing at targets with one of his latest type rapid-fire guns.

Based on Shakespeare's play, Act V, Scene vii: King John is in torment, and his supporters fear that his end is near. As he writhes in agony, he is attended by Prince Henry, the Earl of Pembroke, and Robert Bigot. Prince Henry tries repeatedly to comfort his delirious father, but to no avail - John's pain is too great.

This fight consists of six rounds, each round on a film 150 feet long. It's an actual contest between James J. Corbett, former champion of the world, and Peter Courtney. The films are listed as "1st Round", "2nd Round", "3rd Round", "4th Round", "5th Round", and "6th Round".

A referee and five fans (including a waiter in his apron) look on as two young men box. The dark-haired, slightly taller boxer throws a right and the light-haired smaller one goes down; but he's up before the referee starts counting. After the knockdown, the boxers mostly hit each other's gloves. The fans, at least one of whom is sitting inside the ring, show no animation. They're all men, dressed in a range of late 19th-century garb.